The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1887-09-15
Just Waat He Wanted.

heard in down town Office yesterday
tale which recalls Hawthornes story o
the man who went out for walk ont
evening, after saying good bye to his wife
and did not return for twenty years. which
he spent in house on an adjoining street.
Ii seems that citizen OF Boston, whose
name, if should give it, would be recog
niz.d at once by many of my readers,
found himself last spring in very warm
and nervous condition. 1t seemed to be
absolutely necessary that he should &c
somewhere where 1t would be impossible
for letters or kilograms of business to
annoy him. The family physician sug
gested trip to Enrop', and his wife pro-
Tossing her willingness TO stay at home
and look after the large family Of children,
the merchant, for such he was, appar
emily acquiesced. He stipulated that no
one should see him of, and that no letters
should be expected from bin, but instead
he promised to send cablegram twice a
week to bis wife. The fact was that he
had horror oi the sea voyage, aud had
secretly resolved to satisfy homesick
desire Of revisitiDg alone which he never
would have been allowed to do under
ordinary circumstance-the village in d
northern New England region where his
childhood was spent. However he engag
ed passage on White Star steamer, and
after an aflectionate farewell to both his
wife and children, he started for New
York. He stay in that city just long
enough to make sure that bis name was
on the passenger list Of the steamship
and to arrange for q series of half-weekly
cablegrams from Liverpool, London, Paris,
Lucerne, ETC., to his wife and departed
for the country.
The trick was certainly cruel one, but
the mans mental condition was 50 morbid
aud perverted that think he must be held
partly excusable Some admiration is
also excited by the neatness with which
the plan was carried out. Prayers were
duly offered iu an Episcopalian church
for "a person gone to see;" his friends
noted with satisfaction the arrival OF the
steiner in which be was supposed to have
sailed, and the teegrams that bis wife
received every few days announcing bis
continued improvement in health, were a
great source OF satisfaction to her In
fact, however, her husband WAS rusticat-
ing under an assumed name at a little
t,yern in his native village. He bought
horse, rode obout the country, regiyiDp
old recolections, aud breathing in res
and strength from the pure mountain air
The denouement was, OF course, the
most difficult part of the affair." lie had
intended at first to keep up the delusion
to the very end, and ostensibly return
from the foreign trip laden with the Euro
pean presents, purchased in New York.
But Ms bis nerves recovered their wonted
tone and bis thoughts began TO be less
engrossed with himself the instinct OF
honesty reasserted itself, ard be deter
to make full confession. He had kept
informed by some means Of the where
abouts and condition OF his wife and chill
dren, and accordingly be was able to sur
prise them one day last week by riding
calmly into the seaside village where they
we're staying, and, dismounting, bropz,d
and healthy 10 the bosom Of his family.
A good deal OF explanation was nccessi
and there was some shame on one side and
some wounded feelings on the other, but
upon the principle that "all's vel that
ends well, the sffair was smicably settled.